Our intention in ecology is trying to get closer even more to the nature that surrounds you so you can admire it as it really deserves and, thus, you can enjoy it even more. Therefore, in this article we want to show you a little more about the organs or parts of some plants to increase your botany knowledge. Specifically, we will talk about What are the bracts, their characteristics and examplesas well as differences with other parts of the plant.
Thus, so that it is even easier to start identifying them we offer you a list of plants with bracts. You will see that you already know many of them. Do you feel like expanding your knowledge a little more? Well, accompany us in this article where we explain everything you need to know about these curious parts of the plant world.
What are the bracts
They know how bracts or hyposophileswithin the specific terms of botany, to those modified leaves located near the composite flowerstypical of angiosperms plants.
The bracts are foliar organs that differ, according to the species, from normal leaves due to their size and coloration. However, there are cases where this line of visual differentiation can be quite thin as it happens with those known as Bracteas floralthat become even more striking than the flowers themselves. There are also so -called Bractéolas or Profiles which are those that are born in the floral pedicelo and that are located right on the lateral axis of the flower.
Therefore, the best way to differentiate the bracts from the leaves or the sepals of a plant is because of the function they play. And it is that the bracts work as Flower protective shield. In fact, they also perform photosynthesis, although their contribution is less than the rest of the parts than the plant.
Commonly the bracts are known as false flowers Since, due to what was explained above, especially in the case of floral bracts, these are much more striking and colorful, so it is normal that they usually be confused with flowers. The best example is that of the Easter flower. In this case, the bracts that take that intense red color due to the drop in temperatures, are confused with the petals of the small flowers that accompany inside, so it seems that the flower is the entire red part when in reality these are modified leaves and the flowers are the small targets of the center.
We recommend you learn more with these other ecology articles on the parts of a plant and their functions and what are the parts of a flower and their functions.
Characteristics of the bracts
Next, we will list the main characteristics of the bracts In order to differentiate them from the rest of the organs of the plants with flower:
- Generally, the bracts are smaller than the leaves of the plant, although there are exceptional cases where this happens in reverse.
- The bracts are usually bright and striking and can range from the most intense green to have different types of coloration that range from red to violet, through pink, yellow and even white.
- Although they also perform photosynthesis, their energy contribution is much less than that of the rest of the parts of the plant that are actively carried out, such as the stem or leaves.
- The main function of the bracts is to protect flowers to ensure its reproduction. Mainly, they protect it from insects or climatic effects, such as strong winds or intense rains.
- The bracts are born right at the base of the flowers and reaches their maximum development before the flowers develop completely.
- The bracts can form from one to several floors overlapping around the flower.
Examples of plants with floral bracts
These are some Examples of plants with floral bracts:
- Alpinia glitter or red alpidia
- Tillia sp or linden
- Taraxacum officinale or lion tooth
- Euphorbia Pulcherrima or Easter flower
- Cynara Scolymus or artichoke
- Anthurium SP or Anturio
- Bouganvillea SP or Buganvilla
- Zantedeschia Aethiopica or Cala
- Guzmania SP or Guzmania
- Heliconia SP or Platanillo
- MUSSAENDA SP or Buddha Lamp
- Vriesia or Indian pen
Difference between bracts and sepals
You will wonder, at this point, how you can differentiate the bracts from the sepals of a plant due to its great resemblance, especially because of its similar morphology and coloration in some cases. And there are sepals and bracts of intense green, because of chlorophyll, and that only differ with the naked eye due to their size and position.
Let us remember that The bracts They are modified leaves that are very close or almost attached to the flower or inflorescence in most cases. While The sepals They are formed during plant growth during the first cycle and second protective cycle. These, in addition, are arranged Around the flower chalicenot glued to them.
In addition, sepals are completely independent organs, while the bracts make up a unique set that protects the flower. This set is called and can be found, depending on the species, at the base of the flower, in the chapter or in the plant’s umbela.
If you want to read more articles similar to What are the bracts of a flower, their characteristics and exampleswe recommend that you enter our biology category.
